MinecraftTM is the first game to win Game of the Year without also winning in other categories.

Each Game of the Year nominee won an award except Dark SoulsTM. Uncharted 3: Drake’s DeceptionTM won five awards, more than any other game this year. L.A. NoireTM and Portal 2TM both won three awards each.

Batman: Arkham CityTM won for Control Design 3D and Lighting/Texturing. BastionTM won for Lead Performance in a Comedy (Logan Cunningham) and Original Role Playing Game. CatherineTM won for Supporting Performance in a Drama (Michelle Ruff) and Writing in a Drama. Elder Scrolls V: SkyrimTM won for “Game Design, Franchise” and Outstanding Role Playing Game Sequel.

Several smaller games pulled out victories against big-budget competition. Notable upsets include Alice: Madness ReturnsTM, StackingTM, SpacechemTM, Lost in ShadowTM, Insanely Twisted Shadow PlanetTM, Papa SangreTM, The BaconingTM, and Payday: The HeistTM.

This year’s Honorary Award went to Skip Rizzo for the use of virtual reality, motion control, and gaming technologies in pain distraction for surgery and chemotherapy, as well as for training, stress relief, and rehabilitation of cognition and memory loss. The award was announced by Tara Platt and Tom Sizemore earlier this year.

Each year, 640 registered voters determine the recipients of the NAVGTRTM AWARDS.

More than any other professional group in the industry, testers spend the most time playing games and are therefore most apt to evaluate them on a technical level with intense detail or analysis.

Reviewers in the media also spend a great deal of time analyzing and writing about games from a creative perspective to aid consumers in their evaluations. The best reviewers sometimes parlay their reputation into industry jobs as producers or testers.

For these reasons, the recommendation of testers and reviewers serves as a special mark of quality that balances important creative and technical perspectives and represents the most hard-core enthusiasts from industry and media.

ABOUT NAVGTR CORP.

NAVGTR Corp.TM is a 501(c)(6) non-profit corporation devoted to promoting and recognizing the developments and achievements of the interactive entertainment industry for public awareness and education.

Through annual awards, television specials, videos, special events, and other future plans, the Academy hopes to preserve the history of the medium as well as honor the creative and technical individuals who have paved the way for new ideas and innovations.